Ingolstadt’s Air Mobility Initiative given €100 million funding boost
The Bavarian Council of Ministers is to provide €100 million in funding to support the German city of Ingolstadt’s Air Mobility Initiative.
Ingolstadt signed a letter of intent in June 2018 along with surrounding districts, the Free State of Bavaria and various partners from the industry, which declared their willingness to develop and look into innovative mobility concepts for airspace in the region.
Testing would include the field of medical services, transportation of blood and organs, public safety and in passenger transport, while the population is actively involved in feasibility studies and issues relating to noise and safety.
Lord Mayor of Ingolstadt, Christian Scharpf, said: “One hundred million euros as additional support for the Urban Air Mobility Initiative of the Ingolstadt region — that is a strong signal from the Free State that we are very pleased about!
“It is a clear commitment to this regional initiative that over 70 German and international partners have now joined. The basis is now being laid to vigorously expand Bavaria’s position as a technology leader in the field of urban air mobility and at the same time to support economic diversification in Ingolstadt and the districts of Region 10. The Ingolstadt region is thus taking another important step towards becoming a model region for the transformation process in mobility.”
Bavaria — Germany’s largest state — started a national technological campaign with the Hightech Agenda last year, which will see €2 billion invested into the development of latest technologies.
Of the €100 million given to the Air Mobility Initiative in Ingolstadt, €15 million will be made available in the coming year, €25 million in 2022 and the final €60 million in the following years.
Companies which have already joined Ingolstadt’s Air Mobility Initiative include Audi, Airbus, Bavarian Red Cross, Deutsche Bahn, European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Lilium, Munich Airport and Skyports.